biblical counselling is discipleship

‘So what is biblical counselling?’

I wish I had an easy answer, but it requires more than a Facebook comment. It requires a conversation that goes like this:

Think little ‘c’ counsellingThe word counselling in our culture is often used to speak about a more formal, often paid relationship with a professional trained in psychology, counselling or therapy. I would call it capital ‘C’ counselling. Biblical counselling includes big 'C' counselling but its primary focus is little 'c' counselling. It is focused on the myriad of relationships every one of us have, that provides counsel on how to live. Whether a pastor, good friends, parent or child, we are all engaged in counselling one another. The question is ‘What counsel are we giving?’

Think little ‘b’ biblicalBiblical counselling is not the ‘Biblical’ way to counsel or a new 'Biblical' method to fix people's problems. It is about developing bible shaped relationships of mutual counsel with others, were the bible and it’s wisdom is central. It is about joining together with others to help each other grow in Christ through a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

But isn’t that just discipleship?Yes, biblical counselling is a part of discipleship. It is not another method for growing God’s people. It is:

Ministry done most times in the community of the church where both the normal and complex problems of daily life can be addressed. Walking patiently with someone, while wisely connecting them to Christ through the grace-centred message of the Bible. We call it 'Personal ministry of the Word and prayer'.Ministry that involves every person ‘speaking the truth in love’ (Eph 4:15) and ‘teaching and admonish one another’(Col 3:16). It is a culture of ‘redemptive friendships’ where everyone is becoming wiser in their capacity to minister to others with God’s truth.

So do you have any 'biblical counsellors'?Very few at this point. And our focus is broader . . . equipping, supporting and training all of God's church to be a community that counsels people with the scriptures. We hope that out of this, God will also raise up more people with gifts and character to serve the wider kingdom as church staff or parachurch counsellors. These counsellors' won't replace the discipleship/counselling of the local church but willencourage, support, and supplement it where needed."

If you would like to have a conversation about how your church could be equipped to wisely minister God's word to each other then see the training options on our site.